Foothills Adventures

First let me state that I'm not promoting trespassing, however I may have a different view than many on this subject. I do believe absolutely in asking permission to enter property when a clear and present opportunity to ask is available. This might be someones backyard or an active industrial complex. On most if not all but once or twice, this has worked out spectacularly and I've been able to get into places most don't, just by asking. I've had fantastic luck and thank all those who have let me ...

A couple years back I stood on the supposed Towle right-of-way overlooking both Drum Forebay Rd and Interstate 80. I was trying to figure out how the Towle Bros line had gotten to this point from Towle. Supposedly they had come up Canyon Creek right where the freeway sits currently. Well, looking at it from where I was standing, I didn't like it and still don't. Its just the height differences and change of direction. The freeway didn't cut that much away! Well if one looks directly across I-80 ...

With our hike rained out this past Sunday, my gal and I went shortline hunting instead.

First up, I was curious about whether Cal Northern GP15-1 #113 had been relettered back for CFNR after its return from the Mare Island Rail Service so Davis was first on the list. Sure enough, #113 was there along with #502 and #504 gensets. Also sure enough, she (113) has been relettered so a photo shoot ensued. Bingo right from the get go this trip is starting well.

The Western ...

My "new", it's been almost 9 months, girlfriend doesn't know the area much but loves to explore and hike. She even digs exploring old railroads with me. So over the last few months, we've been out and about checking out local trails and historical spots. Her enthusiasm and my need for exercise due to a recent diebetes diagnosis has led us on all sorts of adventures. On several of these I've spotted new "backyard" railcars or railcar bridges in the area and have added several ...

Whew! 2012 has been a busy railfanning year. I havn't even gotten to blog much except a few news articles.

Well lets see what I've been up to. First, most of the year was taken up with the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Mountain Quarries Railroad here in Auburn,CA. I was very fortunate to be asked to join the committee planning out events for this celebration as well as keep track of the schedule and post updates for my Foothill Rails site.

During this planning, ...

Thursday, 16 August 2012 20:49 Martell Amador Central Railroad Depot sees the “end of the line” with demolition by owner SPI




Amador County – Amador County Historical Society president Thornton Consolo said it was the “end of the line” starting Friday for the 107-year-old Amador Central Railroad Depot in Martell.

Consolo said the demolition began the morning of Friday, Aug. 8 with five workers disassembling the building “so as to salvage as much lumber from ...

Engines fire up for this weekend's Railroad Days
Martha Garcia, Colfax Record Editor
Colfax Record, 10-04-12


Colfax continues to observe its railroad heritage this weekend when the community celebrates Union Pacific’s 150th anniversary during the annual Colfax Railroad Days, presented by the Colfax Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with local service organizations and businesses.
Railroad Days, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. ...

Gus Thomson/Media Life

AUBURN CA - Things are going to get eerily historic soon on the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge.
Plans are to use some temporary railroad tracks to position a 30,000-pound, oil-fired steam engine on the span over the American River in the canyon near Auburn – something that hasn’t been seen since the early part of the last century.
But this particular steam engine isn’t just any old steam engine. It’s the last surviving locomotive from the days ...

99-year-old locomotive arrives in Auburn for bridge's 100th birthday party
By Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer


AUBURN CA - The last of a line of locomotives that labored in the American River Canyon as part of the mine bringing limestone out of the Cool quarry, Engine No. 202 arrived in Auburn on Friday to help celebrate the 100th birthday of the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge.
A little worse for wear after a recent run-in with copper thieves at the Clarksburg ...

As part of the 100th Anniversary of the Mountain Quarries RR, the sole survining locomotive will be returning to Auburn for display at a couple of the events lined up. Transportation, storage, and repairs/painting are basically nailed down. Hopefully we will have her ready for showing at the Confluence Festival in June at the American River Overlook in Auburn. The major goal is to have her on display on the Mountain Quarries Bridge for the Grand Finale celebration in September. All we need ...

Iconic Auburn-area bridge turns 100
Gus Thomson/Auburn Journal

AUBURN CA - Whatever you may want to call it, Placer County loves its Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge.
Painted, photographed and just plain admired, the span that some dare to call “No Hands Bridge” has reached the spry old age of 100, with plenty of structural stability left in its concrete-arch frame.
To celebrate the centennial of Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge (that’s the official name, although no

...

2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the Mountain Quarries RR near Auburn,CA. Several events are in the planning stages or being finalized. This will hopefully culminate in having the single remaining locomotive posed on the "No Hands" Bridge in September. Alot of work is to still to be done to make this happen and eventually many volunteers may be needed to get'r done. I will be posting updates and event schedules as we go.

As for now, for starters, there is an Art ...

And a short and quick blog...

With my buddy Jeff in town for the week from Colorado, there were a few shortline locos we wanted to hunt down.

First up we drove by the Sacramento Valley at McClellan Park and noticed the ex Rarus GP9s were gone. Later research would turn up that they left earlier this month to LTEX.

A quick stop in Davis found us two Cal Northern gensets.

Our first main goal was the NWP units at Schellville. Upon arrival we found ...

A recent text I recieved asked for directions to Pino Grande. This inspired today's trip though the idea had been on the back burner for some time.

With the nearest access point approximately a two mile hike in from the road, an idea hit me. My mountain bike is just sitting in the closet and part of this summer's goal was to get back on it after years of disuse. Why not combine the two? I loaded up and headed for the woods.

Upon arrival at the gate on Mosquito Rd, I jumped ...

Apparently my recent trip to Southern California didn't satisfy my road trip sweet tooth so a drive to Felton took place yesterday. This idea has actually been floating around in my head for awhile now but I was just waiting for a few things to settle into place before making it a reality.

Though I left at the crack of dawn, I decided to cut out several stops as the day progressed. These included Woodland, Mare Island, SP steam displays in San Jose, Monterey, Salinas and Tracy, and ...